The last month

Christmas picture (how mad does Tinkie look at us)

BYU v. TCU

After my brief sabbatical from blogspot, I have returned. Maybe not tanner, but definitely heavier after a week long cruise (do you know how much they feed you?!). Since my last post, we have been quite busy, but haven't actually done much. Isn't it funny how that happens? Jade's been a workaholic, and I have been quite busy finishing my last few weeks of school. For the record, in one week I will be a college graduate! Finally. BYU killed TCU, and we were once again on the sideline, cheering on our cougars. Basically the only other event worth noting would be the cruise we went on with my family for Thanksgiving. It was to the Western Caribbean and Central America. We had so much fun. The weather was kind of a bummer, because 3 out of the 4 port days were rainy, but nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Cozumel, Mexico was our first stop. We went with an LDS group to see the Mayan ruins there, which were really neat, and the scenery was spectacular. Belize City, Belize was stop number two. We went with that same LDS group to another set of Mayan ruins. These were really cool, because to get to them, we had to take a speed boat ride through a river in the jungle, and we could climb to the top of the temples. Exercise and culture. What more could we ask for? Sun. Our third stop was Roatan, Honduras. This was the beautiful day, and the most fun. We went on a zip-line tour through the top of the trees in the jungle. We also did tight-rope walking, rope bridges, and the like. The best part of the day was playing with the owner's pet: a monkey! His name was poncho and he was about 20lbs, and 4 feet tall from fingers to toes. I got to hold him, and he climbed all over me (and the rest of the fam). It was SO cool. Then we went to Freeport, Bahamas. Rainy, again, and kind of ghetto. We went shopping and the boys went to the beach. Other than that, we had 3 days at sea, where we spent the majority of the time catching up on sleep, eating, and playing games. I am the English Rummy champion! It's been hard being back in the 30 degree weather, and especially hard not having a chef and wait staff at my service. We're super busy trying to catch up with things before Christmas break, but though we're going crazy, we're still having fun. The highlight of being back in Utah was taking down Thanksgiving decorations and putting Christmas decorations up. And Christmas music. I love my Christmas music. Jade will finally let me listen to it now that Thanksgiving is over.

Cozumel

Cozumel

Halloween Fiesta

Curly (Jade), Madam Kate Elder (Ash), Outlaw Queen Belle Starr (Steph), Outlaw Wood Hite (Shane)

Jade, Chad, Ryan, Ashton, Randi, Megan

(Curly, Eddie, Buster, Kate, Sophie, Twila)

Becca and Kelly (Elena and Zorro), Jade and Ashton (Curly and Kate), Anna and Markell (Annie and Wyatt)

No costume store in Provo/Orem had a cowboy costume big enough for Tink, so this is what we ended up with!

Jade and I don't have any kids to take trick-or-treating, we're obviously not into the typical Provo "Halloween dance party" scene, and none of our friends were doing anything fun for Halloween. So we had no idea how we were going to celebrate this year. I somehow got this brilliant idea in September to throw a Halloween party on Halloween, for those of our friends who also don't have children to spend Halloween with. Now, you all know me very well, and simple just doesn't work for me. A little get-together with a few friends and paper plates is GREAT, it just isn't my style. I somehow feel obligated to go over the top with anything I do. So I threw this elaborate, old-fashioned, wild west party, complete with assigned characters (who were actual people that lived back then), a saloon (which I'm still trying to turn back into my house), and an open bar, with bartender (curly Jack Jamison, AKA Jade). I cannot even tell you how much time I spent on this party. I was like a crazy woman for about 2 weeks before the 31st. Poor Jade had no idea what he was in for. Well, the party was a success, and everyone had a great time (or at least I hope so). We had an uproarious game of BUNCO, and I think the boys were more into it than the girls! I've never seen such competition over 3 dice! Anyway, it was a really fun Halloween, but I'm sure glad it's over. Now onto my next big project: graduating...

12 more days

On the giant slide at the corn maze

Leroy

Scarecrow, Tink, and a kitty

So can everyone guess how long until I graduate? 12 days! Not 12 days total, but 12 more days of classes and then I'm done! I'm so excited and so happy I've been fortunate enough to go to school. (sorry about the cheese). I can't imagine living somewhere where I wasn't allowed to get an education because I'm a female. Which brings me to my big question. Graduate school. Should I go? I've been seriously contemplating it lately. Who knows. What else am I supposed to do? I can't work in counseling unless I have a MS anyway. So yeah, let me know. I take all of your opinions very seriously. Let's see... We were supposed to go to the game last weekend in San Diego, unfortunately it was postponed due to fires. We're really disappointed we didn't get to take our little trip, but we wish everyone in that area all the best. The past several days has been a lot of planning for our Halloween Mystery Dinner on Wednesday. Hopefully it's a lot of fun. I'm going to Vegas this Friday, so all you Vegas people better call me! Josh is getting married! Congrats Josh, we're so happy for you. Over the weekend we carved pumpkins. Jade made a "Tink" pumpkin and I made a scarecrow (we did it with Steph and Shane, Steph made a cat and Shane made a mummy and threw it away because "it didn't look good enough"). We went to an open house/Halloween dress up party for our friends Randi and Chad. That was fun too. Jade was a gaucho and I was a Renaissance girl. We had the best costumes until a couple showed up dressed as stereotypical old people, complete with a musk body spray and powdery grey hair. Pretty clever. We also went with Steph and Shane to a corn maze and a haunted corn maze. We got the corn maze right on the very first try- in fact, it only took us about 15 minutes. We thought that was a little creepy, since the last time Jade went to that corn maze, he and all his friends raced to finish first, and it took each of them no less than an hour. SO weird. The haunted corn maze was very, very scary. My blood pressure was through the roof. In fact, when I got out of there, I was sweating, despite the fact that it was only in the high 30's and windy. So not good for my health. I kept screaming to the "spooks" that they weren't allowed to touch me... "You can't touch me, don't touch me, it's ILLEGAL for you to touch me!" I bet they were so annoyed at me. Anyway, we had a really fun (and scary) time. Also at the corn maze: Leroy, the world's largest pig, weighing in at about 1,200 lbs, goats that ate out of my hand, and little baby pigs that we pet and fed pumpkins to. It was SO neat. Up this week: the Halloween party and Las Vegas. Can't wait!

White Out

That's us leaving the game. I know you can't see our faces, but look at that snowstorm!
So we went to the best football game yesterday! Well, it wasn't the best game, but we had the best time... BYU vs. Eastern Washington (I know, right). So Jade somehow managed to get us sideline passes to the game, which was so fun. We were hanging out right by the team, and at one point (when we were beating them so badly that Bronco- yes we're on a first name basis, or at least I think so- put in our second string) Jade distracted one of his best friends who is a player, and had him come over and chat for a minute. It's not quite the same as cheering at a game, but it was still fun being there. That's not even the best part. It was (literally) freezing, and there was a blizzard. Almost a white-out. We stuck it out though, and had so much fun. We just wore lots of layers. We didn't realize how cold it was until we got to the car and our feet were so frozen that they were itching as they started to thaw. That was a problem, but we had such a fun game day!

Vegas Vacation

Renaissance Fair

At the game

What a week! Jade was on business in Denver two weeks ago, then he came back and went on the elk hunt with his big brother. Unfortunately (and I use this term lightly) they didn't catch anything. Fortunately (and I use this term lightly too) there is a deer hunt this weekend, so maybe this time we'll get something. Last Wednesday Jade and I went to Vegas. We got in around 1am, then Jade left to go to Zion for a "work" camping/mountain biking/hiking outing. I spent Thursday and Friday with my momma and the kids, getting ready for Chaz's sweet 16 party. Friday Jade got back and there was a monster party at the Pettyjohn's. Approximately 60 of Chaz's closest friends came over for swimming, a jumping house, a jousting tournament, a strong-man striker machine, a fortune teller, a caricature artist, cotton candy, popcorn, nachos, brats and dessert. It turned out great. We only had a few minor problems: food in the pool, a hole burned in one of the pool chairs, and 2 girls in my brother's shower (NO, my brother was not involved). Anyway, thank goodness that is over! Saturday we went to the Renaissance Fair in Henderson. My mom, Cheyanne, and I dressed up, Jade and Chaz passed on the tights, and JC declined the invitation to come in the first place. It was cool, though I must say, it drew an odd crowd. I never knew "gothic" people enjoyed Shakespeare. I say no less than 3 couples that were sporting an "S and M" look: one partner had a leash in his hand that was connected to a spike collar around the neck of his partner. Yes, at least three different couples, no exaggeration. Saturday night we went to the BYU v. UNLV game, where we totally worked the #2 team in the conference, thank you very much. I know I have absolutely nothing to do with the victory, but that's beside the point. So the game was good. Sunday we laid out by the pool and barbecued some steaks. It's always hard to leave Las Vegas. It's been especially hard getting back to the routine. I ditched almost every class on Monday. I sometimes think breaks from school do me more harm than good!

BYU v. USAFA

So this weekend Jade's parents came into town! It was great having them here with us, since we only get to see them about three times a year. The highlights of the trip are as follows: 1) I ditched school on Friday, 2) Breakfast at Magleby's, which was a thousand times better than school could have been, 3) Seeing the movie Becoming Jane and crying three times, 4) Getting poured on at the game on Saturday, and last but not least 5) Never again having to wear "blues" as long as I live. The game was pretty bittersweet for me. I have friends on both teams and affiliations with both schools. What's a girl to do? I couldn't decide who to cheer for, so I wore a BYU shirt with an AFA jacket. I figured I covered all my bases. I always wonder what my life would've been like if I would've stayed at the Air Force Academy. We decided I probably would've been at that game, just wearing an AFA cheerleading uniform and not married to my Jade. Isn't it funny how things always seem to work out! I was super nostalgic though, and did go say hi to the one last girl that I knew on the squad. I am so grateful that my life is not what it would've been, had I stayed at USAFA.

Our big Vacations

Well, it's been a heck of a couple weeks. Sunday the 2nd we drove to Vegas, dropped Tink off at my mom's house, and Monday early we drove to LA for a "work" vacation. Is there even such a thing? We went on a cruise with Stampede, and we had so much fun! Our cruise was baja California/Mexico, so we went to San Diego (where we visited the San Diego Zoo), Catalina (where we had an "Olympics" contest with the company and played some great beach volleyball), and Ensenada (where we visited La Bufadora, which is like one of 3 natural blow-holes in the entire world). Anyway, it was a really great trip. We got back to LA Friday the 7th, and that night we went to an Anaheim Angels baseball game. It wasn't that great of a game, but it was still really fun. Then Saturday we went to the Rose Bowl for the BYU v. UCLA game. It was rather unfortunate... We really should have won. I'm seriously upset with PAC-10 Referee's and I honestly think they might have had money on the game or something. I'm just glad BYU is doing an NCAA challenge, because that game was pretty fixed. Go Cougars! We got back to Vegas Saturday night, and hung out with my family Sunday morning, before driving back to Provo. It sure is hard getting back to everyday life after being on vacation for a week. I had a week of school, and Jade had work. I had cheerleading practice, and Jade played softball on his friend's team. I also forgot to mention something- I got called to be the Bear Scout Assistant in Cub Scouts. So I'm in charge of six 9-year old boys. It's pretty crazy! I have a really good Bear "mom" though, who I get along with great. We had our first activity on Wednesday, and it turned out great. Just FYI, kickball is a great activity for 9-year old boys. This week it's going to be at my house though, and I think I might have a coronary before the night is over. My "mom" is going out of town, so it's just going to be me. Thank goodness for Jade!! Friday night we flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma. What were we doing in Tulsa, you may ask. Following the BYU football team, of course. Saturday we went to Oklahoma City, and went to the temple, and that night we went to the game. It was another depressing game, but this time it was the team's fault, not the referee's. Although out of 14 flags thrown, only 2 (yes TWO) were against Tulsa. So maybe there was a little bias there, but still, we didn't play our best. Anyway, we're back in town for another great week. Jade's parents are coming to visit on Thursday, and we couldn't be more excited! Jade has all sorts of "fun" things planned for dad and him. Example: going to the mountains at 4am to look at where elk may be next month during the hunt. Mom, we'll have to go get our nails done or something!

This is my baby gorilla. When I was looking at him, he woke up from his nap, and scooted over to the glass, looking at me. Then, I put my finger up to the glass, and he put his finger up to mine. It was love at first sight.

Catalina Island

La Bufadora (not quite as cool as they made it sound, but worth the $20 cab ride)

This is Tink and daddy cuddling. Look closely. Tink is asleep. She sleeps on her back, right up against us. Have you ever seen a puppy behave in such a way?

pink toenails, cheerleading, and our one year anniversary.

Horseback Riding by Fish Lake

First and foremost, Tink got her first mani/pedi. She looks fantastic with her hot pink nails!! Jade almost had a heart attack, but so far EVERYONE I've asked says it looks cute. Also, I was offered a position as assistant cheerleading coach at UVSC! I'm not getting paid, but the coach is retiring, so basically I'm apprenticing so I can hopefully take over next year. I'm having a blast, even though I am sad I'm not cheering at a Division I school anymore. I'm quite nostalgic, especially since it's football season once again. Anyway, I'm totally stoked about my new job. So, I'm back to school again. It's been interesting to say the least. You see, somehow I got fortunate enough to have 9 elective credits that needed to be filled, so out of 5 classes, I really only have two "serious" ones. Those two are great, but my 3 elective classes are quite different, because since they're electives, they're freshman classes. I'm in classes with 17 and 18 year olds, which isn't that much younger than me, but I've been married a year, and I think I'm probably a little more mature than the average 21 year old. I feel like I'm about 10 years older than my classmates. Also, the teachers teach quite differently then senior level teachers. I feel like I'm in Junior High. One teacher (this is a communication class), makes us do breathing exercises for the first 10-15 minutes of class. We "let go" of our bodies, and we "listen to the building breathe". We also "find the building's heartbeat". It's an easy class, so I'm not complaining, it's just a little difficult for me to stifle my laughter in that class. Other than that, I'm really liking my last semester. I do have a bad case of senior-itis though. Our anniversary on the 31st was AMAZING!!! I don't know how I got so lucky to have Jade as a husband. After I got home from school that Friday, we drove up to Park City, to the Stein Erickson Lodge. I had never even heard of this place, but it was INCREDIBLE!!! It's a gorgeous resort/lodge, and apparently it's Utah's only 5 diamond, 4 star resort. Anyway, we had a private suite that even had a hot tub on the balcony. After we got settled in our room, Jade took me down to the concierge, where there were horses waiting for us! So we went on a 2 hour ride all around the mountains and it was BEAutiful. Then we went back to our room and got cleaned up and guess what my little romancer had set up for me... Our wedding cake! He had the flower arrangement recreated, and hot pink rose petals all over, and 2 champagne glasses, with a bottle of Martinelli's to toast! We ate the traditional bite of the cake for good luck, and toasted our first year down and forever to go. Then we went to dinner at PRIME Steakhouse in Park City. If you've never been there before, I would highly recommend it. Anyway, we had a wonderful anniversary. As if the weekend couldn't get any better, BYU KILLED Arizona the following day. We were pretty elated, especially since the Arizona coach engaged in some bad-talking against BYU before the game. Anyway, tomorrow we leave for our vacation, so I'm pretty excited for that. It's going to be another great week.

Look at her CUTE nails! She feels like a lady now.

The BYU v. Arizona Game. You would not believe how hot is was. I had cooler games in Las Vegas.

Our Cake. Surprisingly enough, it was still pretty good after being frozen for a year.

Dinner on Anniversary night.

Seahawks V. Vikings

As we wrap up another great week, I have but one event to share. Saturday Jade took a day trip to Seattle, Washington to watch the Seahawks and Vikings game with two of his best friends; his brothers. Jeremy's brother-in-law is the Vikings ex-quarterback coach, turned offensive coordinator, so the boys were able to go see the team and coaches in their hotel before the game, then they watched the pre-game warm-ups from the sideline. Jade said they were literally feet from the team. The game was good, but paled in comparison to what they were able to do before the game (all this according to Jade). Tink and I had a fun time at home, cleaning. We really missed "daddy", but we were so happy he was able to go spend that special time with his brothers. On the schedule for this week: 5 days of work for Jade, 3 days of school for me, Friday is our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!, Saturday is the first (pre-season) BYU game!, and Sunday we leave for Las Vegas. I hope you all have a great week also!

Jade's totally closing his eyes, but aren't they the best looking brothers you've ever seen?!

A Great 21st Birthday!

Our Little Family

Wednesday just might have been my best birthday ever. I had such a great day. Thank you to everyone who called and wrote to me. It meant so much to me that you all thought of me and remembered my special day. After the great skydive, I drove back to Orem (about 80 minutes) and Jade took me to Pita Pit for lunch (he even brought flowers... what a gentleman!). Then I came back and got ready for a big date. My wonderful girlfriend Stephanie came and did my hair and made me look like a movie star. Then Jade, Tink, and I went on a 4-wheel ride up Alpine canyon, which is where Jade and I got engaged. It was so romantic! That might have been cheesy. Sorry everyone! Then we got ready for dinner- don't worry, my hair didn't get messed up- and we had dinner at "our" resturant, Macaroni Grill. It's where we had our first date. It was so nice, and Jade knew the perfect gift... a pink TaylorMade golf bag! It's super cute. I had such a special day. Thanks doll face. I love you.


My 21 Princess Tiara. Thanks momma!

Skydiving

Ready to Jump!!

So, before I go on and experience the rest of my big 21st birthday, I figured I'd write really fast about skydiving, before I forget. Let me just say that this is something I've been wanting to do since I can remember. What an incredible experience! Jade woke me up with breakfast packed and ready to go in a cooler, since my girlfriend and I had to drive about an hour and a half to get there. He's so sweet! Beat that, boys. Then when we got there we had to sign the infamous death waiver. "Just in case". We were loaded in the plane by noon, and I was so grateful for my tandem-guide. He was awesome and made the whole experience so fun for me. I jumped first from my group. WOW. Another guy went and jumped out right after us and since he was a single jumper, he was able to grab my hands and spin me in a circle, then we held hands in a straight line and waved and blew kisses to the camera. We free fell for about one minute. What an experience flying is. It doesn't feel like you're flying, it feels like you're laying stationary, and wind is just howling by you. I thought it would be very jerky and unsteady, but the whole time it was really mellow and super controlled. The first few seconds after jumping out of the plane are just unreal. You just go "1, 2, 3, out!", and then you're falling 13,000 feet out of a plane. Breathing was pretty hard, and it felt like I was under water. UNREAL! Then after free falling he pulled the chute (which wasn't at all painful or jerky), and the wind stopped and we were soaring. That part felt a lot like parasailing, where you're just kinda gliding around. Super peaceful and serene. He let me "steer", and I spun us around in circles. We were diagonal in the air spinning, which pulled at least a couple G's. You can get pretty fast if you yank the chute hard enough. The landing was soft and easy. I landed on my feet, thank you very much! No butt-dragging for me! The whole thing was absolutely incredible, and I'm so happy I went. I would highly recommend it to anyone! It wasn't scary at all, and it was breathtaking flying above such beautiful scenery. Skydiving is a must for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to fly. Now Jade and I are off to bring 21 in, in style. I'll keep everyone posted on what my sweet husband has up his sleeve this time.

Me and Stephy before our big jump

Just Another Day in Paradise

Swimming Lessons


Well, the summer is coming to an end, unfortunately, and we have many important things coming up. Jade's busiest time of the year is almost over, and my last semester of college EVER is about to begin. Also, my 21st birthday is on Wednesday, and our one year anniversary! Can you believe that it's been a year? Sometimes I feel like we've been married 10 years, and at the same time, I can't believe it's been a whole year already. That doesn't make any sense, does it? Wednesday is my last first day of school ever, and guess what... I'm ditching. My girlfriend Stephanie and I are going skydiving!!! I figure I need to do something fun and exciting for my big 21! I'll keep everyone updated on how that goes. I think Jade and I are going to celebrate tomorrow night, though at present I have no clue what we're going to be doing. Jade loves to surprise me. This weekend, Jade's going to go to the Seahawks v. Vikings game with his big brothers. He's so excited to go spend time with 2 of his favorite people ever. I'm sometimes jealous of how close they are... I always wanted a twin, or a sister close in age to me. Maybe when Cheyanne's a little older we can have that same bond. I finished our 72- hour kits a month or so ago. That was quite the project. Now I'm on to food storage, and I'm happy to say that I'm over half way done! Jade says I'm being too anal about it because we probably aren't going to need it any time soon, but I just like to have things done. I'm not very good at the in-between stage, where things are started but not finished. Next Friday is the anniversary, and I have absolutely no idea what Jade has up his sleeve. Poor guy has my birthday and our anniversary within 10 days of each other... The double-whammy!! I've had his present for a week now, and it's taking every ounce of self control I possess not to tell him what it is, or give it to him, or unwrap it myself. I get so excited about presents for other people. Next Saturday is the first BYU football game, against Arizona. We're getting pretty pumped. An inside source from the team tells us the new quarterback is living up to Beck's high standard, and the team has a good chance of winning conference again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a national championship. We'll be in Vegas next Sunday everyone! I'd love to see you all. Monday we're leaving on a work cruise out of LA, and we'll be back Saturday, just in time for the BYU v. UCLA game. I'm so excited for this game. It could be monumental for the Cougs. Then we're coming back to Vegas Saturday night and Sunday. Again, I'd love to see you people. I almost had a coronary over leaving Tink at a kennel. Thankfully, my generous (and beautiful!) mother agreed to take the job. I feel so much better knowing she's being taken care of, and isn't stuck in a chain-link box 20 hours of the day. What can I say, she's my baby!

Projects

Believe it or not, I am better at "posting" than writing in a journal. Pathetic, huh? So not too terribly much has has happened in the last week or so. Jade's been working hard, as usual. Unfortunately that means he's gone a lot. I decided it was basically pointless to get a summer job, since I just barely finished summer school, and since fall semester starts in less than a month. So my busy worker bee has been gone, and I've taken up several projects to keep me entertained for the 5 or 6 weeks I'm free for the summer. Currently I'm finishing up my mom's scrapbooking. Chaz is done, JC is almost done, and Cheyanne has about 20 hours of scrapbooking before she gets caught up. Can you tell she's the baby? I've also taken to reorganizing the house. Those of you who know me well now probably think I've lost it, since we all know my house is already alphabetized and color-coded. Other projects I've taken up are scanning all my wedding pictures, so I can put them on a CD "just in case" something happens to my scrapbooks and wedding photo albums. Yes scrapbooks and albums, plural. There are 5 so far. I'm relearning to golf, which is incredibly frustrating. I finally had a really good hold of the sport in ninth grade, then didn't play for 6 years. Needless to say, my talent has digressed. Also, I am a full-time babysitter. Tink is in her autonomous phase, where everything is super interesting, and she feels the need to do 10 things at once. She will get out every toy in her toybox (I know, our dog has a toybox, we're pathetic). Seriously, every toy. Then she tries to find new toys in the form of mommy's shoes, kitchen utensils, office supplies, basically anything she can get her little paws on. I still love her. Jade is on his way to Montana as we speak, he's river rafting for the weekend. I definitely didn't want to participate in that activity. Unfortunately, he leaves for a week long business trip on Monday, so basically I'm all alone from today until next Sunday. Anyone want to play? Let me know!

Idaho, Oregon, Vegas and Salina

It's been a busy few weeks for Jade and I. In the end of June, Jade, Tink and I got to go to Portland for the annual Thelin family camp-out. Traveling with Tink was kind of a nightmare- there were so many complications; we couldn't fly her as checked baggage because it's summer, so we had to ship her as cargo (you don't want to know how much that cost), we had to get health certificates last minute, and if it's 85 degrees or hotter in either city, she's not allowed to fly. We said prayers that she wouldn't get stranded in either city. Thankfully, she made it, and we had such a great time. Tink is certainly her mother's daughter. She didn't much care much for the dirt. She wouldn't even eat her treats because she didn't want to lie in the dirt. Pretty funny. Needless to say, she was excited to get home, bathe and see Roxy (my mom's boxer we babysat for a few weeks). This month was the first time Tink's been around other dogs for extended periods of time. First Roxy, when we babysat, then Remy, her cousin in Portland, then Roxy again and Louis, my mom's Yorkie. She didn't want to share toys or treats at first... I think she had only-child syndrome. "I never have to share." Now she's pretty lonely being by herself. After Portland, we came home and my family stayed with us for a few days. We went to a water park, shopping, dining out, the movies, and some other fun things, then we headed to central Utah for the 4th of July. Salina, UT everyone. Anyone heard of it? It was a really fun, small-town celebration. We went to the fair, parade, and the rodeo. Guess what the highlight of the fair was... riding the mechanical bull. Chaz, Jade and I were the only ones who wanted to try, and the boys put me to shame. My mom says that even though the boys stayed on longer than me, I looked the best while riding! There was a young girl, no older than 10, riding the bull STANDING. She put all of us to shame, even the real coyboys that gave it a go. It was a great 4th. Then Jade had a work conference, and trip to Idaho, so I went to Vegas and spent time with my family. We had a blast. We golfed, went to the gym together, swam daily, celebrated JC's 18th birthday (can you believe that- 18!!), and had a great week. Jade came and met me on Friday, where he was a substitute for my mom's BUNCO group. Jade played with me, my mom, and 10 other 40-something women. He'll never admit it, but he had the best time of anyone. He was laughing and cheering louder than any of the ladies, and he even won a prize. I was told that I better keep an eye on him, because he was flirting with other women! We all had a great time. We left on Sunday and came back to Utah. It's good to be home. Well, it was good to be home. Today we came to Idaho for a short trip. We're going home tomorrow, but we have had a nice time in Rexburg. So here's a funny story... It's BYU-Idaho graduation, so every hotel in this small town is completely booked out. It's a real miracle that we found a room today, and an even bigger miracle that we're allowed to have Tink in our room. When we got to the room, we unloaded, then Jade went to get a few more things out of the car. When he came back, he couldn't get back in the room. I was locked in, and he was locked out. It was about 10 minutes before the guy came to help. His solution- i had to unscrew all the bolts on the lock from inside with his leatherman, then they pushed. Classy joint, don't you think? We're hoping no one tries to break in tonight, or we're really going to be out of luck. Anyway, it's been a busy few weeks, but really fun!

Stake Conference

Okay, so I usually have my stuff together, right (we all know how anal I am)? Well Jade's out of town, and I guess I just crumble without him because today I got ready for church, made sure I was going to be 5-10 minutes early, drove to our chapel, and realized I was the only car there. Guess what today was... Stake Conference. Nice move Ash. My mind must go out of town on business with my husband!

Puppies

As you all know, Jade bought me a puppy a few months ago. Her name is Tinker Bell "Tink", she's a weimaraner, and she's almost 18 weeks old. She is like my baby. I'm a little obsessed, but hey, I know I'm not the only one who is overly attached to my dog [mom]. Usually Tink and I are best friends. Well, we've been babysitting Roxy, my mom's boxer, and now Tink is really paranoid she's getting replaced, so she's acting out... a lot. Okay so I know I haven't exactly had a baby yet, but I'm a big sister three times around, a real auntie, and an "auntie" to a few friends babies. I cannot for the life of me imagine a baby being harder than a puppy. I have backup from Jerai (Jade's sister whose puppy is only 3 days older than Tink) on this. At least you can pawn a baby off on a relative, friend, or neighbor for a little break. There are hundreds of baby sqings, chairs, and the like that will keep a baby pacified. If I put Tink in the kennel, she just barks and whines. She doesn't like to be left out of anything. I thought now that she was potty trained, the hard part was over and my life was going to be a breeze. Not so much. Tink rings a bell whenever she needs to go potty (I know- it sounds like a really great idea), however Tink learned to manipulate the system. We'll come in from going potty and literally seconds after we come in, she rings the bell again. Okay Tink, I know you don't have to go. I would leave her outside longer, but we can't just let her run around outside because our backyard is separated from the golf course by a mere 2 foot tall rock wall (By the way, she is getting plenty of exercise- every night we take her out running either at the park, on the golf course, or along side of us on the 4-wheeler). Tink's not the most coordinated puppy, but she can jump the tiny wall. So, every time I have to take her out, I have to put her leash on, and go out with her. This wouldn't be so bad, but I don't think her bladder has grown with her body, because I have to take her out at least hourly (unless I want potty all over the brand new white carpet). She also discovered that the same white carpet is also fun to chew on. Not only is the carpet tasty, but the baseboards, the wrought iron ballisters along the stairs, the wood that holds the ballisters up, any corners of our drawers and cabinets, and also mommy's shoes. I know all puppies chew, but cabinets and carpet- I don't think that's normal. I have to keep a really close eye on her 24/7 or else things get destroyed. Okay, so I'm done whining now. She really is a great puppy. She hasn't had an accident inside in quite awhile, she loves people, loves to cuddle, and she's a really fast learner. She can do lots of tricks: Ven Ca (in Portuguese it means "come here"), sit, down (when she's jumping on a person or the counter, table etc.), prison (she'll go to her kennel), kisses, cinco ("five" in Portuguese- she'll give you a high five), shake, and "get it" (when we play fetch). She also will "go potty" on command, which is convenient when I'm in a hurry to go somewhere. I shouldn't complain, I'm lucky to have such a sweet baby, but can't they just be born one year olds? That would make life so much easier, wouldn't it.

I'm finally here

So I finally did it- I created a blog. However, the word "blog" sounds a little scary to me, so I'm going to call it "posting" (thanks Kristen G. for giving me a better alternative). So, I'm going to try and post frequently to keep you all updated. This way, I don't crowd your inboxes with little tidbits every week, and I can save the mass emails for the really important stuff. Also, now I feel better about my lack of journaling, since I can't keep up with that to save my life. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and also keep me updated on your lives as well. We sure do miss all you Vegas and Oregon guys and gals. We love you lots! Ash and Jade